A.M. Performance Extra Capacity Baffled Racing Oil Pans
 

UPDATE!

Here is the list of people who have opted in and are confirmed for this run of oil pans:

1. ChrisSlicks
2. TravisJB
3. The illustrious Shamu, whose 370Z keeps getting sweeter.
4. wstar


Thanks to all who have ordered!

We have developed an effective oil pan that addresses all the surging and starving oil pickup issues that the 370Z suffers from when put on track. We have extensively tested our solution and seen huge improvements in the consistency of our oil pressure, and have seen significantly lower bearing wear in race conditions as a result.

We are finished with the prototyping phase of this part, and have a final design that is ready for production:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3063/...22a2a887a0.jpg
oil pan 1 by A.M. Performance, on Flickr

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3072/...04eac67cde.jpg
oil pan 2 by A.M. Performance, on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5183/...2206277ca6.jpg
oil pan 3 by A.M. Performance, on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5197/...3927a9729d.jpg
oil pan by A.M. Performance, on Flickr

Why are we telling you guys about this? Well, we are going to be making a small run of these, and while we are going ahead with production, we'd like to offer them to the general public, as it will be some time before we need to make another run, and it is as easy to have our machine shop crank out 20 pans as it is to make 4.

This piece is machined from billet aluminum and is a direct bolt-on. It adds an extra quart of oil capacity, which combines with the finned design to help bring temperatures down. More importantly, it features a very effective baffling structure that controls the engine oil in high g-loading situations. Before installing the prototype of this pan, we saw significant loss of oil pressure in certain braking and cornering situations, affecting both engine longevity and performance (variations in oil pressure affect the ECU's movement on cam timing). After installing this pan, we have seen a huge improvement in our oil pressure data logging.

Initial price for this piece is set $1050, and in comes with the necessary oil pickup tube. This is the next best thing to dropping $10k or more to design a dry-sump system!

Please contact us here or at sales (at) amperformanceracing.com with any questions!

Thanks,

Mike

Impressive looking piece. Just out of curiosity, how much lower does the pan sit when compared to the cross member?

Very cool design. Also interested in the clearance height change of the pan.

Thanks Dustin! We just gave our engineering staff a pat on the back! As for the positioning of the pan, it is about an inch lower than stock, but still higher than the crossmember, so it won't get ripped off when you go off-roading and the stock plastic under tray still fits fine.

Thanks!

Mike

sub'd.

wooooowwwwww thanks guys

Very nice. I would defiantly consider this next year some time when the track days come alot more. Would like to see it priced around $875.

Have you guys put together a rear diff cooling kit? Some kits that are out there are high. For I've priced everything exactly part for part and still come out in the good by $300. Just easier to buy a kit put together. But putting one together is not bad.

Repped

It's very tempting. It would be nice if the price could come down some, but given nobody has a competing product yet, I think you'll still sell some of them even at $1050. I think I'll go in on the first set most likely, but I probably wouldn't be ready to purchase until sometime in August, I have a lot of travel going on between now and then.

What does your schedule look like for actually having the first batch out the door?

Diff temps are a problem on our cars, especially when running longer sessions. They put something together for Shamu's car so they should be able to replicate it in kit form. Pump, small Setrab core, thermostatic switch, and oil lines. Difficult part is deciding to tap the cover for the oil lines or using the fill and drain holes. Problem with using the fill hole is that you never get the oil capacity quite right as you can't account for the oil being taken up in the core and lines, which given the small oil capacity is an issue.

I'm probably down for a sump, given how hard I beat the car on track it is a worthwhile investment.

Are you absolutely sure it's above the crossmember in the end (are we talking about the crossmember under the engine, just behind the oil pan)?

I have one of the AAM oil pan spacers on my car now. I guess i never measured the thickness of the spacer, but it should be about an inch, and with the spacer + stock oil pan, the bottom edge of my oil pan is definitely coming out lower than everything else around it (although the plastic tray still fits, since it's flexible).

Also, I notice your drain plug hole is on the bottom though, whereas stock hides it at an angle. Is the drain plug head going to change the overall clearance?

Sorry for the 10,000 questions, one more thing came to mind: do the moving baffles allow the oil to leak back slowly or do they close off completely? Just thinking about drain on oil changes here.

Does the differential cooling kit need to have a pump as well? I remember reading that is one of the more complicated aspects to a fully functional cooler setup, it is really unbelievable how expensive most of the existing 370z diff coolers are.

Yea I've thought of this after looking at others. I'd like to use the drain/ fill holes to keep it simpler. I'm sure there's a good enough solution for getting it close enough.

I've have had two situations where mine has overheated. My diff would make some awful sounds when it did. And would take a good part of the day to get it back where it needed to be. Almost like the clutch plates couldn't take it. Which I now feel there will eventually be some unusally wear happing for the extra heat. I want to faith in the OS Giken LSD. But no more than what I'm doing, no big concerns. I've had a brief conversation with Shamu about it.

All this seem to be more when I take it to the mountains on miles of tight turns.

Yea they do. For it has to have a way to pump threw the cooler and back into the diff. Sort of like a oil cooler but obviously are cars already have a oil pump.

Really the two most expensives parts to the cooler are the pump and the fittings.

I'm definitely interested as well so please let me know the time frame for the initial run.